Sysadmins. Generation NEXT

Some time ago, in the framework of a joint project, I had a chance to talk with representatives of the small integrator of Moscow. In particular, for the sake of interest, I talked with the guys who were called the department of system administrators. The average age is 26 years old, many have 3-4 certificates from Microsoft or even Oracle. They are engaged in the billing system of one very large operator in Russia. This is the front part, solid, but there is another, shadow side, which is usually hidden from prying eyes and which I learned about exclusively because I talked with employees. This part is most fully characterized by the dialogue that I had with the following “administrator”:

(I) - Imagine, Alexei, the system administrator in one friendly office has not been able to configure automatic shutdown of servers for power failure for two weeks now.
(admin) - Why disconnect them?
(I) - I mean? Well, the electricity is gone, the UPS holds the power for a finite time, then it turns off.
(admin) - Well, I believe that the server should work continuously. No need to turn it off automatically.
(I) - What, sorry? How would you solve this problem? There was no power (builders cut the cable) in the whole building, there is a UPS, but they last for 20-30 minutes, then turn off. How to be
(admin) - Well, let UPS send me an e-mail or SMS notification that the power has disappeared, and I will already think whether to turn it off or not.
(I) - And even at three nights let him send? And even if you climb a mountain somewhere in the Alps?

This ended our dialogue, because this mega-certified “admin” turned out to be just a “Pavlov’s dog”, taught to press which buttons. As soon as he was set before the simplest, but unfamiliar task, he instantly faded away and was lost in three birches.

I remembered this story because I was recently looking for a system administrator in a small organization. The office is small, only 60 people, and a competent admin was needed, with a head capable of independently solving a bunch of non-standard tasks. Money was offered quite normally (for Moscow) and I did not see any particular difficulties with the search. How wrong I was.

I will not mention what resumes were sent to me. This is generally a separate topic for the article. The simplest example of a fairly common resume:

Company name: LLC "Vasya Pupkin and Sons"
Position: System Administrator
Responsibilities: Engaged in system administration.

I scolded such scribbles right away. Like many others, in so many ways. Sometimes it took me 5-10 seconds to evaluate my resume. But I repeat, the topic of mistakes in the resume of IT specialists deserves a separate article in general, which I may write a little later. This time I wanted to talk about directly interviews and reactions.

As a result, out of hundreds of submitted CVs, I invited about 15 people for interviews. They had correct and beautifully designed CVs, they could be reached (by the way, if you are looking for work, then indicate the method of communication that is guaranteed to work) and they have not yet started to call “fuuu, users ... I don’t like them that way.” ... ". 15 people. I asked all of them just two simplest tasks for logic and attentiveness. In one, it was proposed to deploy anti-virus protection on some servers, in the second - to choose a backup method. Since the conditions were very blurry, the candidate had to turn on the brain and make the right technical decision, and I watched him sufferout of position. So, about 12-13 people out of 15 got into a stupor at the stage of "put the antivirus on DC or not." Many said, “Why is there an antivirus on the server?” Only extra load. ” And another, when I mentioned Windows NT 3.51 for some reason, I said that "there is no such OS, NT was only 4.0." I repeat, these are people with a good work history who call themselves "system administrators." Many have certificates from MS, 1C and other “Bauman courses”. And when the fifth or sixth candidate struck me with the phrase “well, you do not set conditions, you ask me something technical”, then I remembered about my experience in communicating with the administrator of that integrator.

When I started working professionally in 1993, then “system administrator” meant “system administrator”, a person who systematizes chaos and builds the foundation for the entire IT structure: builds a network, sets up servers, plans work logic. Later, this concept was divided into "network engineer", "server engineer" and other "engineers", and the "system administrator" slipped into "helpdesk" (talking about Russia). But now it turns out that it’s not even helpdesk, these are these parrot boobies who were given certificates in various state offices or integrators, taught how to count the network mask without a calculator, taught which buttons to press (especially Microsoft loves it) - and released to the world. After which they can only work in the same IT McDonald's, as many integrators in Russia are.

Honestly, I am very sorry for this trend. This disappointment mixed with disappointment inspired me to write this article. I hope that at least a few young people who have not yet crippled the psyche of the integrator will read it and in the future they will be able to become real specialists, and not learned monkeys.

Have a nice day everyone.

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